Century Marks

Jan 25, 2005

Stories about home: When representatives of the native community met with British Columbia officials to discuss contested land, the natives expressed dismay that the government claimed rights to land their people had long occupied. One native elder asked: “If this is your land, where are your stories?” He understood that story gives meaning and value to the place we call home. But “can one land ever really be home to more than one people?” asks J. Edward Chamberlin. Can Catholics and Protestants live together in Northern Ireland, or Jews and Arabs in Palestine? Chamberlin thinks so, provided they listen to and understand the roots of each other’s stories about their homeland (If This Is Your Land, Where Are Your Stories? Pilgrim Press).